AKRON, Ohio (AP) - University of Akron officials say the estate of a Quaker Oats Company heiress has pledged $20 million to the school with most of the money paying for scholarships.
University President Matthew Wilson announced the school’s largest-ever donation Thursday.
The gift is from Jean Hower Taber, a great-granddaughter of a Quaker Oats’ founder. She died in July at age 94. Two-thirds of the money will support scholarships for honors students and audiology students.
Taber gave the university nearly $8 million during her life. While she didn’t attend the University of Akron, she received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2004.
Wilson says Taber’s gift will make “many dreams of a college education” possible.
The first Hower Scholarships are expected to be granted in the fall of 2019.
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